Comments on: Pedal power to the people!http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/
What’s happening around Saratoga.Thu, 10 Aug 2017 00:27:32 +0000hourly1https://wordpress.org/?v=4.7.5By: Madam_Shttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3274
Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:42:26 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3274typo:
Last sentence should have read, “…don’t we often blame the parents?”
]]>By: Madam_Shttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3268
Tue, 13 Oct 2009 20:55:50 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3268This is not a political issue (sorry Bill, JackinAlbia, “Common Sense” and “Savage Nation”). If it were, you’d have these people to blame:

The county supervisors are 18 Republicans, 4 Democrats, and 1 Independence Party member. Republicans hold the county-wide offices of Sheriff, District Attorney, County Clerk, Treasurer, and Judges of the County, Family, and the Surrogate Courts. Saratoga County has usually been a Republican-leaning county in most major elections. And the mayor and majority of the city council are also Republicans. AND, the NY governor was a Republican from 1995 to 2006.

Like MF says, this rule is about CYA (Cover Your Axx) and lawsuits. If one kid got injured on the way to school today, a lawyer would file a lawsuit, and a jury would tend to give the distraught parents millions of dollars to ease their pain. And whoever says “get a lawyer” is actually making it worse.

In our district, there’s no rule against walking/biking, but most parents still drive their kids to school, because they’re afraid, or because they just think they are better parents for doing more for their kids. I think this is wrongheaded, and my kids do walk to school, but this problem is much bigger. We are way too protective of our kids. We’re controlling them, not letting them be independent. Also, if a kid is hurt on the way to school by himself, don’t we often the parents?

]]>By: Doug Hormannhttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3247
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:44:12 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3247As for the liberal vs. conservative debate; I’m confused by some of the posts. Liberals by-and-large are for alternative transportation. They approve of bicycling and walking and other forms of transportation that reduce our need for more freeways and fossil fuels.

Conservatives on the other hand, tend to gravitate towards viewing bicyclists as interlopers on “their” roads. As an Oregonian, living in a city that promotes cycling and where approximately 12% of communters into downtown Portland do so on bicycles, it is the conservatives who are all about banning bikes and fighting against more bike lanes.

My guess is that this is a relatively conservative school board that sees bikes as toys and not a viable means of transportation. That attitude further informs their decision making as to the appropriateness of students riding to school. Also as conservatives tend to, as a whole, have less formal education it is more likely that a liberal board would have abandoned such a policy as having little legal grounding.

I’m just sayin’ 🙂

]]>By: Doug Hormannhttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3246
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 21:34:45 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3246This strikes me as another in a long string of examples of school boards being made up of people who are woefully under-educated and simply have no understanding of the law. Many school boards have an in loco parentis policy about students from the time they leave home to the time they arrive at school. As such they believe that such policies (no bikes or walking) are permissible. Not only are such policies failing to reinforce good, healthy behaviors, but they are tacitly unlawful. The board cannot just make stuff up and expect it to fly (which is apparently what they did in 1994)

On the other hand, it boggles the mind that nobody challenged this until now. In my home state of Oregon, our schools Elementary through High School, are equipped with bike racks and students are encouraged to use them.

As for the Trooper; What law were you enforcing by telling this young man and his mother that they couldn’t ride to school?

]]>By: Barry Nordinhttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3244
Sun, 11 Oct 2009 19:34:16 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3244Do I have this straight? Kids can ride bikes or walk as long as they don’t do it where school administrators could potentially be held responsible for accidents? And breaking this “rule” is so egregious that a STATE TROOPER can be called in to make sure the urchin rides the school bus and doesn’t use his personal mobility in any other way?

I think 1. you have some idiots running your educational system, and 2. they might own shares of the stock of the school bus company.

The superintendent said the policy was instituted in 1994, “well before my time here,” and that the school officials are now working on a compromise and considering changes to the policy, which was **designed to guarantee the safety and security** of students who haven’t yet reached high school.

If that isn’t the crux of nanny-state liberalism, I don’t know what is. A “guarantee”??? Once again, policy based on the notion that we can perfect the world around us (“A world without nukes.” “A world where everyone has health care.”). We CANNOT achieve perfection in life…it’s all about risks/benefits, tradeoffs, and making the best of the “hand we’re dealt” (or the “life’s lottery ticket” we’ve bought).

When I was in 4th grade (1969-70 or so) in NYC, a classmate of mine was struck by a car as he sprinted across the street to meet the ice cream truck (less than a block from school…oy!!). He was seriously injured (I seem to recall that he was out of school for about 2 months). But there were not any protests/rulemakings/prohibitions concerning ice cream-free school zones or some such BS. Life went on.

To Mrs. Marino and her son: Keep on pedaling!!!

]]>By: L.J. Dunahoohttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3175
Sat, 03 Oct 2009 13:00:36 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3175Anyone who can bike 300 miles across New York is a great example to others! GO MARINOs…GO!!!
]]>By: bphttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3167
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 19:43:37 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3167I find it interesting that several comments on this thread all seem to reach the conclusion that the School Board is some sort of left-wing-nanny-state-socialist bastion of pinko-commie liberals. Yet a quick google of the current BOE and these folks don’t look “liberal” to me.

Perhaps the bigger question is why the school board would have an outdated ban on biking and walking to school still on the books. The fact is that “conservatives” tend to take the legislative approach to behavior just as much as “liberals”. It really comes down to the citizens of Saratoga Springs pushing for dedicated bike lanes, etc. in the public right of way. Far to many drivers tend to think they’ve a God-given right to drive while someone who choses to bike or walk is considered either 1) a threat to the Republic, 2) a socialist liberal hippie or 3) all of the above.

Common Sense stills sees this as an us vs. them issue. I wonder…does your vociferousness towards over-reaching school boards extend to school boards that vote for “intelligent design” to be taught as a science or is only those boards that take a “liberal” path.

Quite frankly, I find the over-zealousness of school boards is a direct result of the hyper-ventilating attitudes of parents who demand “this or that” and the school boards react to that.

Needless to say…regardless of where you go to school – public or private…the state of education in the U.S. is sadly declining. But instead of the community taking a vested interest in making sure the schools work well, many take their children out or protest education funding and then continue to whine.

]]>By: John Furtwerhttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3165
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 02:50:45 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3165Hm, can’t bike to school, can’t walk to school. VERBOTEN.
At least our schools have their priorities straight. In an age where MEDIcating children is more profitable than EDUcating them, the next important thing is not the education but the TRANSPORTATION.
Take note Schools, here are the priorities.
1. Medication.
2. Transportation.
3. Sports.
4. Education.
Also, a kid on Wellbutrin and Ritalin will not be safe on a bike or on foot. MUST be driven by bus or car or ambulance (=most profitable.)
]]>By: Stevehttp://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/pedal-power-to-the-people/2974/comment-page-3/#comment-3164
Fri, 02 Oct 2009 01:43:31 +0000http://blog.timesunion.com/saratogaseen/?p=2974#comment-3164What kind of goofy schoool “officials” are on the loose in that city?

I rode my bike to school every day when I was in grade school. Where has this country gone in my lifetime? ….Totally off it’s rocker !

Ever since the teachers were taken over by the unions, the educational system in the US has gone downhill almost to the day unions got involved in schools.

The US continues to fall farther and farther behind other countries, when we used to be on of the best educated countries on earth.

Test scores, graduation rates continue to go down. Class made easier and easier, and still the kids coming out of public schools are doomed to a life of stupidity. Can’t make decisions for themselves.

I have young people come in to apply for a job, and many can’t hardly fill out an application.